The Boy in the Zoot Suit
by Remaerd
Summary: AU, Kataang. A darkened past has kept Katara from finding love. Despite her constant attempts to keep a business like relationship, she finds herself drawing close to an unlikely person with a secret, and asks herself a question many have tried to avoid: What are you willing to sacrifice for love?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Well hi there. This is my first story on here and I hope you like it. I've always been interested in constructing one, but for some reason never got around to doing so. Took me long enough. Were studying Al Capone in school and this story snaked it's way into my head. Fire Lord Ozai is kind of like a modern day Al Capone in this story, the rest you will have to read to find out.

**Summary: **AU. Kataang. Katara hated it. She could not understand it and part of her did not want to. When did this boy become her hero? How did he steel her heart? When did she fall in love with a criminal?

**Disclaimer: **Avatar the Last Airbender does not belong to me.

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**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 1**

Bitter wind whipped past the young man's face, little bits of rain drops sticking to him as he shuffled through the windy city of Chicago. Light's looked blury during the dark autumn nights. This part of Chicago had a mysterious feel to it. Most of the shops were closed down, mainly because this was where Fire Lord Ozai did his business. And nobody, and I mean _nobody_, wanted to mess with Lord Ozai. Even Aang, the adopted son of this notorious gangster, knew better then to cross certain lines.

In some way, he felt as though he was like those lights. Only difference was, he was poor, and didn't shine nearly as bright.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't such a good comparison.

He shrugged his shoulders, letting the analogy go, and stuffed both hands into his silvery black trousers.

At first glance, you would never expect this young man to be poor. Technically, he was not poor. In fact, he was far from it. He was rich. Yet with all the money he had in his pockets, his life felt incomplete.

Adopted into a family of royalty, you could say, he had the outfit to match.

A tilted black fedora cap and a zoot suit, black laced up oxfords that had a clean crisp shine to them, and his dark brown hair slicked back with a side part. Poor would _definitely_ be the last thing to enter a persons mind. Weird might be the first though. This outfit looked as if it came out of a 1920 movie. That day and age had passed long ago.

Still though, this young man was quite the looker. Well toned muscles hid behind his clothes, and stormy gray eyes couldn't keep heart beats down. He was handsome, to say the least, and he knew it. Saying this did not go to his head, would be a lie. A complete lie.

But then again, he lied a lot.

He smiled at a group of young women who appeared to be in their early twenties. They flirtatiously waved at him and he winked back, causing an uproar of giggles and blushes from the girls. Part of him thought they might be laughing at his get up. The outfit he wore looked like he had just come out of 1920s movie or something. But this is what all the members of his gang wore.

He tipped his hat further, to make sure no one could really identify him.

"And what are you doing out at such a late hour Aang?"

Aang turned his head to face the direction in which the voice came from, only to see the face of his good friend.

He smiled slightly and pat his good friend on the back.

"The same thing your doing Zuko," he said with a slight smirk on his face.

"Shall we enter?" Zuko said, opening the door ahead of him. He gracefully waved his arm for Aang to enter.

"Thank you my good sir," he said while entering the abandoned, or what appeared to be an abandoned building.

It was very dark inside when the two young men entered. Zuko felt around for a candle and lit it with his finger.

Aang snorted when Zuko lit the candle.

"I thought you said you were done with firebending." Aang said with a sly smile.

Zuko shrugged his shoulders a sly smile covering his face.

"And I thought you said you were done with this business. I guess we've both told our fair share of false truths."

Aang nodded his head, unable to deny what Zuko said.

"Touché."

The two of them were quiet as they made their way around the empty room to the very back door. Behind that wooden door was a steep staircase that descended to where all the meetings and exchanges were held.

It was a long and steep descend. Every time Aang walked down those stairs he couldn't contain the bad gut feeling he got. He always blamed it on the creaky wooden stairs. But sometimes, other reasons made more sense.

He snapped out of his thoughts when they got to the bottom of the steps and Zuko did the secret knock on the door.

Slowly the door opened, creaking loudly while doing so.

" 'Bout time you two got here." Azula said, as she stepped aside for them to enter.

Zuko rolled his eyes, taking off his jacket and slinging it across his shoulder.

"Shut your mouth Azula. You know we were coming."

Aang couldn't help but smile at the two of them. After all these years they still had that same love/hate relationship. Talk about a brotherly sisterly bond.

"Father," Azula called out, rolling her eyes while doing so. "Aang and Zuko are here."

The room was lit with several candles. Shelves were lined with handmade moonshine. A fairly big size bar was situated at the far back of the room. At least five large jugs of bear were placed nearby the bar. The gang consisted of a man who goes by the name of Zhao; assistant of Lord Ozai, Azula; daughter of Lord Ozai, Zuko; son of Lord Ozai, and that was it. Aang was the youngest member of the gang, being only 18 years old. Uncle Iroh, Lord Ozai's older brother, used to be a part of the gang but stopped a long time ago when his son was killed during a gang war. He no longer wanted to be a part of such a violent club. Instead, he now owns a tea shop in the richer part of Chicago. Aang sometimes wished he had joined him...

Ozai was standing behind the bar, he also kept his guns hidden behind the counters. Not many people knew this, but Aang did. He accidentally stumbled across some one day. That was many years ago though, when he would have been disgusted to see someone have such a deadly weapon in their possession. Now, a little queasy to admit it, he had gotten used to these things. In fact, he had one of his own.

"What took you two so long?" Ozai asked, his slick black hair pulled back into a ponytail and topped with a white fedora cap. A goatee nested his face, similar to the one Zuko was trying to grow. Like him, Azula and Zuko had those same golden eyes and pitch black hair. In fact everybody, except Aang, who was a part of the club had those golden eyes and pitch black hair. Aang felt shivers run down his spine everytime he looked at them.

Aang bowed deeply to Lord Ozai.

"My deepest apologies for being late Lord Ozai," he said, keeping his head bowed at the ground. "I have collected all the money my Lord."

Ozai smiled and looked at his son Zuko.

"You have trained him well my boy." Zuko nodded his head in response. "Well," he continued. "don't just stand there. Let me see it."

Aang dug into his pockets only to find a whole. His eyes widened immediately once he realized his wallet had fallen out. He paced the room, patting himself down thoroughly and scanning the floor with his eyes.

"What are you doing Aang?" Zuko asked through gritted teeth.

"M-my wallet... i-it's gone..." he whispered back. Never had he felt so scared for his life.

"It's gone?" Zuko's good eye widened in response. If anyone knew the punishment for missing money, it was Zuko. He came up shorthanded one day and his father punished him in a way he'd never forget. The memory still brought a sore pain to his one scarred eye.

Aang fell to his knees begging like he never imagined he would have to do in his life.

"I am _so_ sorry my Lord! I am _so_ sorry! Please forgive me! It was an accident! I swear on my life, I would never double-cross you!" he begged, tears asking permission to stream down his smooth creamy skin.

Ozai shook his head, a thunderous laugh echoing through the room.

"Look at me peasant boy," Aang did as he was told. "I took you off the street once your uncle died. I raised you as my own. Taught you all my ways, and yet, you betray me. You steal my dough. Dough that I gladly shared with you. I never hesitated. Did I?"

Aang shook his head. "No sir."

"Explain to me then," Ozai said, gently stroking his long goatee. "why would you steal?"

"I promise you my Lord," Aang looked him straight in the eyes. "I did no such thing. My wallet is missing, and if you just give me the chance, I'm sure I can find it-"

Ozai slammed his fist against the counters top, making glasses vibrate and some spill over.

"Lord Ozai does not give out free second chances. Our time is through." Ozai reached behind his counters, and Aang automatically knew what he was reaching for. Zhao let out a deep breath and smiled, showing all of his golden teeth. Azula leaned against the counters, lazily sipping some moonshine, hey eyes narrowed with excitement.

Aang's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. He gathered himself to his feet quickly, wanting to dart out the door.

"Father," Zuko stepped in. "Aang has been loyal to this family for 6 years. I believe what he has said. Please don't do anything rash."

Ozai glared between the two young men. "How _dare_ you speak out of terms to your Father. I do not accept that type of behavior Zuko. I suggest you shut your mouth before I really make it so you never talk again." With that said, Ozai pulled out his .45 caliber. He ran his long pale fingers against the smooth gun. Everything was dead silent as he did so.

Ozai smiled into the silence. "I really don't want to this Aang... but you have given me no choice. Nobody double-crosses Lord Ozai." He held his gun out properly, aiming it directly at Aang's heart.

For some reason, at this moment, Aang felt frozen. As if his feet had been nailed to the floor. His throat had suddenly grown to be very dry, and no matter how much water he drunk he would be unable to fix it.

Before he knew it, the gunshot sounded, and he was on the floor. He examined himself for a brief second and saw no sign of blood or injury. He felt no pain. He looked over to see Zuko holding onto his chest. Thats when it all came together. Zuko saved him by pushing him out of the way, and got shot because of it.

A lot of blood streamed down Zuko's shirt, he took quick gasps of air. He fell to the floor with a loud thump and his eyes shut.

"Zuko!" Aang screamed out running over to his best friend. He could no longer hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "Zuko! Come on wake up! Wake up!" He shook Zuko as hard as he possibly could. Aang knew he was still alive. He could see his fast breathing.

Ozai stood frozen in spot, still holding the gun in his hand.

Zuko opened his eyes just slightly and whispered something Aang would never forget. "Run Aang. Run away from here and never come back. Remember that you are the Avatar and never forget that. I love you little brother." He closed his eyes shut for the final time, and Aang cried without sound.

Time felt as if it had stopped moving in those few seconds. His best friend, his brother, just died. Right before his very eyes. Died saving his life. The current time presented itself very quickly when he heard another gunshot, that missed him just by a centimeter. He immediately jumped to his feet an darted up the long steep stairs, gunshots being shot at him as he ascended.

"You will regret this Aang!" yelled Ozai, as Aang stumbled out the door and onto the rainy streets of Chicago.

He ran just like Zuko told him.

Ran as fast as he could down the slippery streets. Once he figured he was a good distance away he slid around an alley corner, fell to his knees buried his head into his hands, and cried his heart out.

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**A/N: **Well there you go! What do you think so far? I'd love to hear your opinion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

**A/N:** I appreciate all the reviews I have been getting. If you have any questions regarding this story, feel free to ask. Just so there is no confusion in this story the 21st amendment was never made. The 21st amendment repealed the 18th amendment. The 18th amendment was the law in which the selling of alcohol was banned. History lesson for the day lol.

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**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 2**

Katara lazily let her feet fall to the ground after being held up on her giant desk for so long. It was a large office Katara had. A window positioned at the back, gave her a view of almost all of Chicago. Nearby the large office building was the police station. Where her father, chief Hakoda, and her brother, Sokka, worked. She looked out the window and rubbed her tired eyes. The rain seemed relentless. It poured all night, and by the looks of things, was going to drench the morning as well. She was very exhausted. Having been at work all night. But hey, that's how she got to be in such a high position here. She always got the facts in a story and put it onto paper. That's how she was able to become such a good journalist. She had to put her needs second, and work first.

She got up to the window to take a closer look out. The skyline of Chicago was quite a beauty. Rain or shine. She smiled and ran a hand through her long wavy brown hair.

"Katara?" The voice surprised her, causing her to jump a little and turn around to face them. "Are you okay? I heard that you never left this place last night."

Katara smiled at her concerned friend who also happened to be her assistant and sister in law.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking though Suki." She went over to Suki and gave her a tight hug, then went back behind her desk and sat down. "I just had a lot of work to do. If I didn't stay here, I would have _never _gotten anything done."

Suki rolled her eyes and sat in a chair in front of Katara's desk. "All your about is work lately Katara. Sokka is really starting to get worried about you and so am I. I know your a newspaper reporter and everything, but why don't you ever have fun anymore?"

Katara sighed and looked at the stack of pictures in front of her. "I don't have time for fun Suki. At least, not right now. I'm at the high point of my career. I'll relax and have fun when I retire."

Suki laughed lightly. "With all the money you're making, I'm surprised you can't retire right now."

Katara couldn't help but laugh at her friends comment. "Anyways, what's the latest story?"

Suki pulled out her notepad and went through it. "The government has refused on getting rid of the national ban on the selling of alcohol. I'm sure you already know about that though."

Katara rolled her eyes, putting her hands under her chin. "Yeah. I heard about that. You'd think they would make a law that is more, I don't know, pratical. That was so 1920s. That's when it started, that's when it should have ended. Were in the 21st century now. Sometimes I think history just repeats itself. Like everything that happened in the past will eventually happen again. Will they ever make a law to repel this act?"

Suki shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I sure hope so. But then again, I want people like that Ozai guy locked up once and for all. They'd rather spend time making laws on restricting alcohol rather then making sure they lock up that notorious gangster. It shouldn't be _that_ hard."

"He killed my mother... he deserves the worst punishment they can give him. The death penalty still would not change the fact that she's gone. That she died by his bloody hands and has not been given justice." The memory was still very painful for Katara. Seeing her mother die was no doubt the most painful experience of her life.

Suki was about to say something when they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Katara took a deep breath, changing her focus and getting back on topic.

A tall skinny young man, dressed in a green jacket and a white shirt came in. He had his hair wrapped up in a tight bun positioned at the back of his head. His eyes were a hazel green. He wore a mustache and a goatee instantly making him look older then he really was.

"Hello Haru." Katara greeted the young man as he entered the room and took a seat next to Suki.

"Hi Katara. Hey Suki."

Suki smiled in response. "Hey Haru. What's up?"

Haru stood up from his seat and nervously played with the ends of his jacket. "Well. I was wondering if- you see after work- I have these tickets- two tickets- good movie- and..." he cleared his throat to start over. "I was wondering if you would like to go see a movie with me after work today Katara."

Katara sighed and looked at the huge stack of papers on her desk. "I'm sorry Haru. I'm really busy today. Maybe some other time."

Haru bit his lip. Four years. Four years he had been trying to get a date with Katara. Who was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. Katara's hair was the same color as her fathers, a dark wavy brown. All of her family had sparkling blue eyes, and caramel skin. And by family that would include, herself, her father, her older brother Sokka, and her grandmother Gran gran. Her mother closed her blue eyes when she died. Of course Katara expected a person to close their eyes eventually when they died, she just never imagined a day where she wouldn't see her mother's beautiful blue eyes again...

"Oh." Haru's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Maybe some other time then."

Suki shook her head and sighed. It was always the same words to leave Katara's mouth. 'Maybe some other time.' She couldn't help but wonder sometimes...

Katara smiled and nodded her head. "So is there any other business you came in here to discuss with me?"

Haru paused for a moment, racking his head for something. "Oh yeah." He grabbed his briefcase, which was positioned nearby the door, and went shuffling through some papers. "Just last night a young man was shot and killed. Rumor goes, it was Ozai's son." He placed the papers in front of Katara and she frowned.

"Knowing Ozai, he probably committed the murder himself." she said through gritted teeth. "Do you have any idea where this might have been done?"

Haru shook his head. "I have no idea. But since your dad is chief of police, I'm sure he knows something. Maybe he will tell you. Most of this information is closed to the public."

Katara smiled faintly. "Until now. I want this story on the headline of our next paper. A new murder mystery has erupted, and this time, Ozai will be brought to light if I have anything to do with it."

Haru and Suki glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

Haru nodded his head. "I'll get on it right away Katara." He left the room.

"So," Suki started, "you declined him again."

Katara looked up from the papers. "Who? Haru?"

"Yeah," Suki widened her eyes like the question was the silliest thing she'd ever heard. "But then again, why am I surprised. Every guy that has ever asked you out you decline. Always using the same excuse 'I'm too busy, maybe some other time' "

"I am!" Katara sighed exasperatedly. That wasn't completely truthful.

"Sure you are. Your always too busy. You know your like a real sister to me. I mean, besides the whole me being married to your brother thing. Your like a little sister to me Katara. Your 20 years old, and a very beautiful girl. You get a lot of attention from people and yet you just throw it all away. You've never gone out on a date before, and you've never had a boyfriend. I don't understand you really. Many girls wish they got just a _tiny _bit of the attention you do. Lately I've even started wondering if maybe it's not the opposite sex your attracted to, but the same sex. If that's the case, please feel free to talk to me about this."

Katara couldn't help but laugh at what Suki said.

Suki frowned in response. "What's so funny?"

Katara took a deep breath to stop her laughing. "I'm not attracted to the same sex Suki." she said, the slightest hint of a chuckle in her voice, "I just don't have time to date right now. I have my career to think about."

Suki sighed and smiled. "Okay Katara. So do you have any idea where this whole Ozai thing might have occurred?"

Katara frowned. "I think I have a pretty good idea..."

The rest of the day went by painfully slow. Katara was nearly last person at the office during closing time. Suki went into Katara's office.

"Come on Katara. I'm not letting you stay here all night again."

Katara smiled at Suki. "Don't worry Suki. I'm leaving."

Suki smiled back. "Me, Sokka, and your dad are going out for dinner tonight. Come with us please."

"I really wish I could Suki. But I have... other plans tonight."

Suki raised a eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Oh, nothing much. Don't worry." Katara smiled at her friend as they left her office and got into the elevator.

They hugged goodbye and each got into their separate vehicles.

Katara turned on her light, pulling out some directions.

"Bingo," she said as she put the directions into her GPS. She knew it was wrong what she was doing, having taken these from her dad's home last week. But she wanted to at least find out where Ozai hid.

It took her a good 30 minutes to get to a part of Chicago she'd never been before. Light rain trickled above her as she got out of her car. She pulled out her small umbrella. Night was just beginning to fall over the sky. She took a a deep breath and began walking down the quiet streets. The Chicago she was used to was never really this quiet. But this... this part of Chicago sent tiny shivers down her spine.

Lights blinked on and off, just making the turning in her stomach even worse. She was contemplating going back to her car and forgetting this ever happened, when someone grabbed her around the waist, and forced her into alley. All of this happened in only a matter of quick seconds. Her umbrella fell to the ground as she struggled against his grip.

He had shaggy brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a toothpick that was sticking out of the corner of his eye. He wore a tank top and black jeans with wholes in them.

"Hello," his voice was deep and smooth as he held her pushed up against the wall. "What's a girl like you doing here at night?"

"Let. Me. Go. Now." she said through gritted teeth, continuing to kick and squirm. His hold was very tight against her, to the point where it hurt.

He ignored her comment. "Your very pretty."

She kicked him hard, and ran for it. He was gasping for air as she ran. What she didn't know was that he was right on her heels. He pushed her from behind and she fell to the ground with a loud thump. She turned over, blood running down her now scraped up hands and legs. Her pants were completely torn, blood staining them as it ran down her leg. The water and air mixed together stung the open wounds. They shook with pain.

He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, yanking her up and forcing her to stand on wobbly legs. "Nobody hits me like that and gets away with it." He pulled out a gun from his pocket and held it aimed at her head.

Katara closed her eyes and held her breath. Hoping that it would hurt a lot less than she imagined. She felt the cold gun fly away from head, and the grab that was once held on her collar, forcing her up, was no longer there. She fell to her bottom soon as her wobbly legs collapsed beneath her.

That's when she saw it. A boy in a Zoot Suit was fighting the guy who attacked her. Easily and smoothly the boy in the zoot suit avoided all the swings her assaulter lunged at him. It looked as if he was using the air currents around him to manipulate the fight. The boy in the zoot suit and pushed forward, not even touching the other guy. Her assaulter flew into the brick wall, knocked out as soon as he hit it. Blood lightly dripping down his face.

The boy in the zoot suit then turned his attention to Katara, who sat helplessly on the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern leaking through his voice. He bent down and picked her in his arms. At that moment she let it all go. She put her face into his chest and cried. Cried all the tears she had been holding back for the past 10 years of her life. The boy in the zoot suit carried her through an alley and sat her down.

"It's going to be okay." he whispered to her.

Taking off his jacket he wrapped it around her. She couldn't help but notice his muscular build. He took off his shirt and hung it over his shoulder. She couldn't help the warmness that developed on her cheeks. He was quite an attractive looking young man. His stormy gray eyes sparkled under the blinking lights. His smooth porcelain skin appeared to be glowing. She watched him with wide eyes. He tore his shirt delicately wrapping bits of it on her injuries, trying to slow the flow of blood.

The boy in the zoot suit then went over to a puddle. Using waterbending he cleansed it of it's dirt particles, and brought it over in a bubble. He got down on his knees, took off the bits of shirt he had placed, and surveyed her injuries. He carefully applied the water to hands, and she cringed.

"I'm sorry." he looked into her blue eyes, but quickly looked back down at what he was doing. The water was glowing as he moved it over injuries. His hands were very precise and his eyes intense. Pretty soon they were healed.

"Thank you." Katara whispered, looking deep into his gray eyes.

The boy in the zoot suit smiled. "Your welcome."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Avatar the Last Airbender does not belong to me.

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**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 3**

Gyatso loved telling stories. Aang could remember them quite well. Most of his stories were about the all powerful Avatar; the only person in the world who could master all four elements. He talked of how the Avatar could preserve peace, settle national desputes, and save the world. Aang couldn't help but be happy he wasn't the Avatar. What person wants the responsibility of the world on their shoulders? But for some reason, uncle Gyatso always looked so full of hope whenever he told these stories. His voice was always full with cheer and happiness.

The stories stopped when he died.

Aang can remember holding his hand in the hospitial as he took in his last few breaths. Aang felt horrible too. Like Gyatso's death was his fault. He should have never eavesdropped on that secret conversation. He should have never ran away from home because of it. Then maybe, just maybe, Gyatso would not have been shot.

He watched his uncle's eyes close and his stomach stop rising. For those few minutes, he wished he had died with him.

* * *

The morning sun was just beginning to rise. Stirring colors of purple, orange, blue, red, and yellow. Chicago's sky always looked magnificant when it played with colors.

Aang looked up at the girl across from him. Her back was leaned up against the dusty red brick wall, her hair cascaded down in lose waves around her carmel brown face; stopping at her elbows, arms laid out neatly beside her. With every breath her chest rose and with every exhale her chest gradually descended.

Aang took off his fedora hat and placed it on his lap. His hair had grown to his ears and he absolutely couldn't stand it. He put a hand up to his head, feeling it's soft texture, and scratched. A contemp sigh leaving his lips.

Sunday always had this kind of affect on him. No matter the circumstances he could always find a little bit of happiness on Sunday. Though, with a night like Saturday, you'd think he'd be pretty mad.

It wasn't the part of saving a young beautiful girl's life that angered him, but how stubborn she was after he had saved her life.

* * *

"I told you once and I'll tell you again: I'm good now," Katara's voice was filled with determination. She jumped up to her now strong legs and headed out of the dark ally way. Aang stared after her and let out a fustrated sigh. He lazily put a hand up to his strong shoulder and held onto it, watching her feet hit the ground and make puddle splash.

"Do you have _any_ idea what time it is?" he called after her, slowly following her through the darkness. "You really shouldn't be walking these streets. Especially not at night. Please listen to me here ma'am. People like that guy you met are all around here, if you go out there, there's a huge possibility you'll never see daylight again."

Katara stopped walking. She spun around to face him, his strong bare chest glistening under the street lights. She did her best not to drool at the sight. She turned her focus to his eyes, but they were no help either. Those stormy eyes could make any girl fall under his spell. So instead she looked at the cap laid neatly ontop of his head.

"And why do you care so much? You don't know me, I don't know you. How do I know your not like every other guy out there on these streets?" She narrowed her eyes and placed both hands on her hips.

Aang nodded his head and tilted his black fedora cap up toward the night sky, his eyes looking up at the stars. He leaned his bare back against the cold dusty red brick wall and folded his arms.

"Your right. You don't know me. I don't know you. I could be just like every other guy on this street, but then again, I could be different. Go ahead. Try to find your car. If we die tonight, don't blame me." His stormy eyes looked at her from the corner of his eyes for a quick second before his gaze went back up toward the stars.

"What do you mean by _we_?" Katara narrowed her eyes, drawing her now folded arms even closer to her chest.

"Exactly what I said. I'm not letting you go out there on those streets alone. I'm going with you miss..." he waited for her to fill in the blank.

"I'm not telling you my name." Katara frowned, her nose crinkling just slightly and her blue eyes sparkling under the light of the moon. Aang couldn't help but smile. She looked beautiful even when she was mad.

"That's fine with me ma'am. So let's go." He walked up to her and extended his arm. "Lead the way m'lady."

Katara looked him directly in the eyes and tried her best not to kiss him. "You look here. I'm going by myself, and that's final. I don't need your help. Thank you for earlier though. I really do appreciate it, but I got it now. Okay?" She didn't mean to but ended up poking him the chest with her finger. Her eyes widened for a quick second, quickly she grabbed her hand and looked away.

Aang chuckled lightly. "Okay ma'am. Whatever you say."

Katara smiled at the young man and shook his hand. "Thank you for all that you have done." She started walking away but soon turned around for a brief second to see the boy standing right where she left him. "You sure you don't want your jacket back?" Aang shook his head and smiled.

"You can keep it."

Katara didn't make it far. She was at the point where the quiet ally met the street. She looked down both sides of the street. A wide two lane highway didnt leave much space for the sidewalks. Across the street were a group of young men. They all wore threatening looks, their grills shimmered under the moon and blinking street lights. She sucked in her breath and made the best decision she could at the moment.

_I should turn around right now before I get myself killed._

Soon as she turned around she was almost face to face with the boy in the, well now torn, zoot suit. She jumped slightly. She was two inches shorter than him. She looked up at him and he smiled, his beautiful white teeth could light up any dark night.

"I told you I wasn't gonna let you go out on these streets by yourself."

Katara rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but be a little thankful that he was right behind her.

* * *

Katara's eyes fluttered open and lazily stared at him. Her blue eyes had him hooked. An ocean meeting smooth gray clouds. Who knew the encounter could be so amazing.

"Goodmorning ma'am. How was your sleep?" his voice was calm and soothing as it reached her ears. Like a sweet low melody that she wouldn't mind listening to forever.

She lazily rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced around to see her surroundings. Large dumpsters were laid out all around them. The smell was horrible. She gazed up toward the sky, seeing that morning was just beginning to come into play.

She looked down at her once injured hands, arms, and legs. They were completely healed. The only sign that she had a rough night being her torn and bloodied jeans.

"Hi," she smiled lightly at her hero, "It was fairly decent, I guess you could say. How was yours?"

"Oh. It was good," he lied. Aang got no sleep whatsoever last night. He watched over her like a hawk the entire time. In fact he had to fight off a few guys who wanted to cause her harm. Part of him could not understand this new behavior. He had never been like this before.

"What happened?" Katara got up from her spot and kneeled in front of his criss crossed legs. She ran a finger over his bruised eye. It twitched lightly when she did so. She quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

Aang looked away from her eyes. "Not really. I'm okay," he said quietly.

Katara narrowed her eyes, clearly seeing past this lie. His lip was bruised, his left eye was purple and swolen, and a long scratch ran down one of his arms.

Katara frowned and shook her head. She would have noticed that last night. There were street lights down here anyways, so its not like she was completely blind to her surroundings. Colors continued swirling in the sky as the sun was still in the stage of rising.

"No your not," she got up from her spot on the ground and pulled him up with her. "You're coming with me. You saved my life last night, I owe you one."

Aang smiled. "No you don't miss. I saved you because I wanted to. You owe me nothing."

Katara frowned and Aang recognized the same look from last night appear across her beautiful features. A look of determination. "Don't argue with me damn it. I don't have work today and you're coming with me. Do you understand?"

Aang sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to argue. "Yes ma'am," he chuckled. Katara patted her pocket and sighed in relief. She lightly tugged at his arm pulling him out of the ally. Fortunately, her keys were still intact. Hopefully her car was still present as well.

_Perfect plan_, she thought to herself. _M__aybe this guy knows Ozai. I can get top secret details! I can finally get his crew and him locked up for good. Plus, he's a waterbender. I know that because he used healing on me. But what were those fighting moves he used? I guess I'll find out soon enough. All I have to do is make him think I'm his friend..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **1! 2! 3! 4! Who owns Avatar? Not me! ... I was hoping that would rhyme...

**A/N: **Wow. I can not say thanks enough to you guys! All the reviews, and my first story too. I am so glad you're pleased with it so far.

* * *

**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 4**

The smell of herbs and spices filled the air. Aang smiled, holding up the tea and letting his nose hover above it. It felt as if it had been a decade since the last time his nose inhaled this sweet savory smell. It warmed his insides when he slowly gulped it down. It had also been a long time since his stomach had anything inside of it.

His stomach grumbled with anticipation when a veggie burger was placed in front of him. Steam rose from it. He lifted the burger up to his anxious lips and hungrily took a big chomp out of it.

Katara had dropped by her apartment before they came here to change. Katara had also drove by some place she called the home of her brother and borrowed some clothes for Aang to wear. Getting the clothes was easy after she explained things, but getting him to wear them was another story

* * *

"Put these on," Katara said, handing him a bag of clothes and pushing him to the bathroom.

"No."

"Put these on."

"No," Aang said with the smallest hint of a smile.

That's when Katara felt like he was teasing her.

"And why not?"

"I've worn a zoot suit almost all my life. Its a part of me. I'm not changing just because you told me too."

Katara sucked in a deep breath.

"Look," she said quite forwardly. "It's torn. It's beat up. It's ugly. Change. Now."

"No."

Eventually Katara won this battle.

"I'm not taking off my fedora," Aang looked at her through squinted eyes.

Katara sighed. You can't win all battles.

* * *

The shirt felt itchy on his skin. Like it just didn't fit right. It was a little bigger than he was. It was a bright blue shirt with a picture of a surfboard on top of it. The shorts were even worse. His zoot suit had always fit him perfectly, and the bottoms were always comfortable. He picked his veggie burger back up, once hunger punched him in the stomach again, and began the adventure of taste.

Katara sat back, amused, and watched the scene. He was literally killing his veggie burger. Right in front of her. Never had a guy been so comfortable with her. She liked the change.

"To be so skinny," she chuckled, "you sure can throw it down."

Aang put down his veggie burger a light blush spreading across his smooth porcelain skin.

"Oh. I'm sorry," he took off his fedora cap and ran a hand through his itchy head. "It's just been a while since I've-"

"Eaten?" Katara finished his sentence for him.

Aang nodded in response. "Yeah." His eyes fell down and Katara felt the slightest singe of anger at herself for ever bringing it up.

"Well this sure is the place to go. I love this place. Serves the best tea in the entire city." She smiled and picked up her cup, letting the tea soothe her dry throat.

It was a pretty big tea shop they were currently in, and during this time of day, it was pretty busy. A comfortable light green color rested on the walls, with brown borders. The tea shop was composed of many wooden tables, some square and some circurlar, that could seat up to four people. A dark green carpet with a yellow border had an image depicting two light green dragons was sprawled across the light brown tile floor. Two large vases filled with light green flowers each sat at that entrance of the shop. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling.

A large window with large off white open blinds sat on the wall next to them. Out the blinds showed the city. Aang couldn't help but stare out in amazement when he looked out those blinds. He was used to the rough rural part of Chicago. Not the beautiful, busy, city part of it.

Katara noticed his stare and her eyes followed.

"So," she started, "you ever been to this part of Chicago before?"

Aang shook his head. "If I have, it's been a while. What's the name of this tea shop?"

"The Jasmine Dragon."

Aang's eyes widened, his mind immediately racing faster than his speedy feet ever could. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a shor, chubby, old man bursting through the kitchen doors.

"Katara!" he yelled while running up to their booth. Katara laughed and Aang couldn't contain the smile on his face. Her laugh was like music to his ears. "Why didn't you tell me you were here?" The old man continued, looking up at her with happy eyes.

He was short and his round belly stuck out from his green robes. His hair was dark gray and was pulled back in a long single braid, that ran down his back. He wore a dark green hat on-top of his head and a smile that could warm your heart. Well, except Ozai's of course...

Katara smiled at the old man and gave him the same strong hug in return. Aang glanced around and noted that mostly upper class people were here. He looked very out of place. He rose a nervous hand to his bare shoulder, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

"And who might this young man be?" The elderly man turned his attention to Aang, who stood up to give a proper greeting. He bowed deeply to the elderly man, placing one hand over his fist.

"Nice to meet you sir." He stood up straight and looked the elderly man straight in the eyes. "It's a pleasure being in your tea shop. Best tea and veggie burgers I've ever had."

Iroh's smile fell from his face as he looked the young man up and down. He had seen those gray eyes before. Nobody had gray eyes like that. Nobody except...

"Aang...?" his eyes searched Aang's. "Aang! It _is_ you!" He pulled Aang into a tight hug practically squeezing all of the air out of him. Which is hard to do to an airbender. "It's me," the elderly man continued, "Iroh."

Aang's eyes widened in shock and he hugged back with all his might, a few tears streaming down his face. "I missed you uncle."

Katara raised an eyebrow as they pulled apart from their hug. Aang's arm wrapped tightly around the shoulders of the older man.

"Your related to elder Iroh?" she asked.

Aang smiled and looked down at the older man. "Not really. I've just known him for a _long_ time. He's basically like my uncle."

Katara lightly smiled at the two of them. "So your name is Aang?"

Aang nodded his head. "Yes ma'am. And your name is...?"

Katara put a hand up stopping him. "Don't even try it." Iroh laughed at the two of them. Katara turned her attention to him. "Aang here saved my life last night."

"Oh," both of Iroh's eyes went wide. "He did?" That was very unusual for Aang. At least the Aang he knew.

Katara nodded her head, eying Aang suspiciously but covering her suspicions up with a plastic smile. "Yes. He did. He got his clothes messed up because of me, so were going to go shopping. His hair could use a little bit of work too, so we'll probably go to a barber."

Aang frowned, turning all of his attention to Katara. "I never agreed to this."

Iroh gave Aang a large pat on the back, making him stumble forward. "Oh come on Aang! A beautiful young lady like Katara has just invited to take you shopping, I would jump on the idea if I were you."

Aang smile and rubbed his neck. He knew her name now. "I would like to, believe me, but I really should be getting back home..."

His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence. Home. Where exactly is that?

Iroh knew what had happened to his nephew Zuko. He also knew that Ozai had kicked Aang out. Aang had no home. He clearly saw past this lie and was going to make sure Aang did not go back to that part of Chicago.

"Aang," he called out, walking away from Katara and towards the patio in the back. "Could I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Aang knew what was coming. He excused himself from Katara and dragged his feet to where Iroh was. The smell of the outdoor air calming his already tense nerves.

"Come sit my boy," Iroh gestured toward the rocking chair next to him. Aang complied, rocking gently back and forth in the dusty rocking chair. He was sure when he got up his back would be covered in spiderwebs.

"I heard about Zuko..."

Aang looked at the elderly man from the corner of eyes. "You did?"

Iroh said nothing, he only nodded to show he had heard his question.

"I miss him. A lot. We were like brothers. He lost his life because... because of me..."

Iroh sighed, taking the younger mans hand in his own. "He loved you Aang. You were like his little brother."

Aang nodded his head, and bit his lip trying his best to hold back the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I never doubted that. I loved him too. We had to rely on each other. He always had my back, and I tried to always have his. It should've been me left for death. It should've been me..." Aang choked the words out.

"Now don't say that Aang," Iroh looked him directly in the eyes. "You are alive for a reason. You are also the Avatar, and I know, someday you will live up to your full potential. But for now, you need to stay undercover. Sources tell me Ozai and his gang will do whatever it takes to get rid of you. I think the safest place for you to be right now, would be with Katara."

It was a lot to take in. When Aang finally wrapped his brain around all that Iroh said he gasped in disbelief and jumped to his feet. "Stay with that crazy- I mean- stay with Katara?"

Iroh nodded his head, slowly gathering himself up to his feet.

"I don't trust her. She doesn't trust me. I don't like her attitude. She just doesn't like me _period_. I can feel the bad vibes."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her right now. I've known Katara for a while now. She trusts my opinion. I'm also friends of her family. It'll all work out Aang. Now come on inside and lets have some more tea."

Aang sighed and rolled his eyes. Arguing always seemed like a waste of time to him.

Aang could be very observant. Maybe it's because he had to do so when he was on the streets. He ran a finger around the rim of the cup, trying not to look like he was watching Katara and Iroh's discussion. He couldn't hear them, due to their distance, but he could definitely see her reactions.

She threw her hands up in the air several times, a big frown grazing her face. Iroh kept his calm posture, his gestures much more calming and reassuring. He watched her as she folded her arms up to her chest and stared at the ground beneath her, nodding her head.

_Wow, _Aang thought to himself. _She's so beautiful._

He slapped his head when this thought entered, and drunk some tea to try to get that thought out of his mind. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice Katara and Iroh standing in front of him.

"I guess we'll be getting know each other quite well." Katara said through gritted teeth. She liked the idea of getting top secret information was a first class source, but she didn't like the idea of spending so much time with him. Though, if she was honest, he was the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on.

She stormed off toward the exit and waved a hand for him to follow.

Aang sighed and gave Iroh a tight hug. "I hope to be seeing you soon uncle. Thanks for the delicious tea."

Iroh smiled. "Anytime Aang. There's a light at the end of this tunnel, and it's approaching very quickly. Do not fear my boy."

Aang didn't always understand the meanings behind his uncle's words, but he made sure he took each one to heart.

He bowed deeply placing one hand over the other, and went off in the direction Katara had stormed.

_There's a light at the end of this tunnel, and it's approaching very quickly._ Those words started to register to him as he hopped into Katara's blue Mercedes Benz. Maybe his light was closer than he realized.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do own Avatar the Last Airbender.

* * *

**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 5**

Some conversations should never be heard. Some are meant to be private, and when made public; change people's lives, points of views, and everything in between. Aang learned this lesson at an early age.

It was a hot day in Chicago. A nice breeze eased the discomfort many people were feeling. School was almost over for the year. Only three more days to go.

"Aang, your so lucky." The young dark skinned boy kicked a rock into the street, watching it skip to a stop. Lunch had just began and Aang was about to walk home.

"Why?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Your exempt from all your exams, and you get to leave school early! That's pure luck right there."

Aang laughed and pat his friend on the back. "I'll see you later Bumi."

Sweat acumulated at his hairline. He shook his head and ran a lazy hand through. His backpack looked ridiculous on him, he could hear several snickers as he walked down the rough neighborhood he lived in. His backpack was at least twice the size of him. Every night he prayed he would grow up to be a big strong man, who could buy his uncle everything he wanted, and raise a family with a beautiful women. He smiled at this distant thought. A boy can dream.

A stray dog ran up to him, his tail wagging happily in the air. He pounced on Aang, knocking him down and slobbering his face in warm saliva.

"Oh come on," Aang laughed, the dog apparently happy to see such a kind face in this part of town. Eventually Aang was able to gather himself to his knees. He pet the dog, letting it's soft fur run through his fingers. The dog ran off and Aang got up, a bright smile lighting up his face.

He ran. He wanted to get home and tell his uncle the wonderful news as soon as possible. A car screeched in the road, trying to avoid hitting him when he dashed across the street.

"Watch where your going idiot!"

Aang ignored the comment, mentally reminding himself to look both ways next time. It wasn't long before he got home. His home stood out in the neighborhood. It was a very nice home, light orange paint covering it with a white trim. Bushes under each window in the front, and a black metal gate surrounding it. A sort of pride ran through Aang's blood every time he saw it. His uncle had built it from the ground up with his very own hands.

He opened the gate and ran up the steps of the porch, eagerly putting his key in and opening the door. Just before opening he took a quick glance at the driveway, noticing two police cars parked. He frowned and quietly opened then closed the door. Something was wrong here.

He put down his book-bag, slowly registering the deep voices he could hear. As soon as you entered the house, a large, long hallway was placed before you. About five steps later a door leading to the living room was on the right, and the kitchen on the left. At the very end of the hallway was the bathroom and nearby, two bedrooms.

Aang walked to door of the living room and looked in, making sure he could not be seen. His uncle Gyatso wore a very serious expression. His bald head shining under the lights. He lightly stroked his gray goatee, looking like he was in deep thought. Two policemen sat across from him. Their expressions just as serious.

"You can't do this." Gyatso said, breaking the silence.

"We can and we will. He is too strong to be in your care. He needs someone better able to teach him how to control himself, and use his needs to be trained to be a soldier."

"Aang is just a kid!" Gyatso raised his voice.

Aang jumped slightly at the hearing of his own name.

"You can't take him from me. I won't allow it. You don't understand. He needs me and I need him. I'm the only one who can truly understand him. He _needs_ me."

The young police officer shook his head. "You have until tomorrow to tell him that he is the Avatar. After tomorrow we are taking him with us and we will train him how to be a soldier. Good day sir."

Aang grabbed his backpack off the floor and ran to his room, as he heard footsteps approaching.

He fell face first onto his bed, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

Aang woke up. Sweat dripping down his face, his breath fast and heavy. Almost every night he dreamed of his past. The parts that upset him. He got up from his comfy king size bed and went over the window. He pulled the curtains apart to see the nightlife of the city. It was very active down. Cars racing down the streets, people walking down sidewalks laughing and joking. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his now short hair. In one day many things had changed. Aang, who was still the nice easy to like guy Katara met, changed a good amount in appearance. His hair no longer covered half his ears when not gelled back. It was styled in the way Katara chose; of course. His brown hair was cut short, very short compared to what he was used to, and spiky in the top. They had just gotten it done on Sunday, and from the looks Aang kept getting when they were out, she chose well.

He threw a shirt over his head and drug his bare feet along the soft carpet. He sat up on the couch, his feet kicked up on the coffee table.

Her apartment was very big. The walls had a nice calming ocean blue on them. Small waves were painted on the background. As soon as you stepped through the door the living room would be on your right, and the kitchen would be on your left. The apartment had a total of three rooms. Two guest rooms and one master suite, in which Katara stayed. One public restroom was near Aang's room. A ceramic kitchen sink and a marble counter top made the kitchen look way ahead of its time.

Aang could hear her slow footsteps approaching the living room. He looked up to see a half awake, half sleep, Katara. Her long dark brown hair pulled up in a long ponytail, a nightgown stopping right above her knees. Aang swallowed the large lump in his throat. He hated the amount of control it appeared she had on his body.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked and took a seat next to him on the couch.

Aang shook his head. "No."

Katara yawned. "Me either," her eyes lazily looking at him as she positioned herself where could she him better. "Damn nightmares keep me up."

Aang nodded his head. A long silence ensued between the two of them, nothing could be heard but the rumble of nightlife activity beyond the apartment walls.

"Have you ever lost a loved one?" Aang asked breaking the silence.

Katara blinked twice in surprise of his question but answered anyway.

"Yes. I have."

"It's a weird feeling," he continued. "Like every breath you take, every beat your heart makes, every thought that comes to your mind... it aches. Have you ever felt that way?"

Katara took a deep breath, closing her eyes or a second, and nodded her head. She knew how it felt. Very much so.

"I feel drained," he glanced at the ground beneath him, putting his feet firmly on the floor. "Like I've cried all the tears my body can handle. Yet, there is still this void inside of me. Where I miss them. I miss them so much it hurts." He buried his head in his hands, taking deep slow breaths.

Katara took a deep breath and rubbed his back. Maybe it was time to relate her past to his present.

"My mother died when I was young," her voice was low and soothing to Aangs ears. "She was killed. Right in front of me. When she died, I felt as if a part of me had gone down with her. For a long while I wanted to die. I wanted to die so bad. I cried until I felt as if my eyes were going to start dripping blood. Every breath was just so damn painful. So damn painful!" Tears gathered up at the corner of her eyes. Aang sat up straight, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and pulling her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, taking shaky breaths.

"It is painful," he whispered into her ear. "But uncle Iroh always tells me, I'm alive for a reason. And I think I'm starting to realize exactly what that reason is."

Katara looked up at him, her blue eyes blood shot red. Aang looked down at her, feeling the pain in his heart, reflecting in her eyes. Tears ran down the sides of his face and she wiped them away with her index finger. Before long Katara had fallen asleep in his arms. Soft snores escaping her.

He picked her up from the couch when he felt the air was filling his nose with sleep. He gently carried her through the dark apartment to her room, and gently placed her beneath her silky blue covers.

"Goodnight Katara," he whispered and kissed her lightly on the forehead. With that he left the room.

"Goodnight Aang," Katara mumbled , turning to the other side and falling into a deep peaceful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I know it has been, like, forever! But I promise you I will be updating more often now that summer is in full kick and all my exams are done.

* * *

**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 6**

**** 1 Month Later****

Katara's feet padded against the carpeted floor, her hair flowing down her back moving in time with her fast steps. It was late. She should be home asleep. She knew this. Saying she was not tired would be a mighty big lie. But some things appeared more important than her own comfort, and the fact that her car decided to break down helped the fact that she had no way of leaving.

_Stupid blown car. Stupid keys._

One of those things would be, finding Ozai and his gang and locking them up for good. The least punishment Ozai deserved for his crimes would be the death penalty. Oh how she'll never forget how her mother died because of him. His hands are stained with the blood of many innocent people, he deserves the worst. Just like the rest of his gang.

She brought the coffee mug up to her mouth as she sat back down in her black swivel chair. Slowly the coffee ran down her parched throat. She gently set the coffee back down next to her laptop. What she was doing could be considered illegal. Honestly, she didn't give a shit.

Katara had sneaked into her father's workplace and "borrowed", this term being used very loosely, top secret information on Ozai. According to the information found he had been booked in prison before. He served his 5 years, which seemed highly low to her, and got out. She scanned through her computer for recent newspaper articles her company published. They had just published one this previous Sunday titled:

LORD OZAI: A killer and a threat to our society.

To say her brother and father did not scold her for publishing this detailed article would also be a lie. But the truth must be heard, and if it was up to her, and just her alone, she was going to make sure this story was told.

She glanced at the digital clock on her cellphone. It read 3:00 A.M.

"Not bad," she stretched out her tired limbs and yawned. "I got plenty of time." She shut down her laptop deciding to take a quick 5 minute break.

She spun around in her swivel chair and opened the blinds. It was storming in Chicago. High speed winds picked up blowing items and scattering them across the ground below. She looked down and saw few people below. She felt sorry for those people. After all, who would want to be out at night in this weather? If she was honest she would rather be in her apartment, in comfy pajamas, lying down on the couch and snuggled up to... Aang.

"Katara?"

The sudden smooth, deep voice snatched her from her thoughts. She grabbed her briefcase, which was conveniently sitting by her desk, and reached for a knife. After all, you always had to be prepared for the unexpected.

"Who's there?" She sternly asked, expecting an immediate answer and ready for the intruder.

"Katara," his voice had the hint of a light chuckle in it, "it's just Aang."

Katara slowly glanced over her shoulder, knife in hand and ready to launch. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was really just Aang. He had a soft smile, his gray eyes sparkling under the light of her office. His short hair was drunk in water, as was the rest of him. His shirt was white, she could see through easily which made it very difficult to think. _Why does he have to have a six pack? Why can't he just have an unattractive beer belly? _

"Aang," she gasped, "your soaking wet!"

Aang frowned and looked down at his black jeans and white shirt, he looked back up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I am?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't notice."

Katara rolled her eyes, getting up from her seat and wrapping her suit jacket around him. He tried to cover it, but she could tell he was shivering.

"What are you doing here Aang?" The question wasn't forceful, or rude, or anything he expected it to be like. Instead it was soft and calming, yet very confused.

"I came to get you," he said with a smile. Katara's expression did not change. Well, except for the fact she was smiling now.

"Did you_ walk _here?"

"It wasn't that difficult. I don't like you being out this late all the time, it's not healthy. It's storming too. I had to make sure you were okay."

Katara felt her stomach jump. What was this new sudden feeling overflowing within her? She could not describe it, but that one sentence made her feel like she was flying and nobody could shoot her down. Her mouth could form no words, so she just smiled. Which Aang happily returned.

"Now c'mon," he gently grabbed for her arm, tugging her out of the building.

Katara halted him by yelling stop.

"My car battery blew out, the doors are all locked, and my keys and purse are inside. So if you by any chance were expecting to catch a ride with me, I find that highly unlikely."

Aang looked at her for a second, soft gray eyes and a wide goofy smile. "That's alright. Now lets go."

Katara refused to move even with Aang's continued tugging of her hand. He looked back at her, his expression still soft but with a hint of confusion.

"What about all my stuff?" Katara looked back at the office they were leaving. "My briefcase, my laptop, my documents, my-"

Aang silenced her by sweeping her body off the floor in one fluid motion and laughing.

"You talk too much, Just live a little, for once." Her beautiful blue eyes had the same look in them when he met her; shock, confusion, happiness, fear. All so many feelings leashed into her eyes, displaying themselves for the whole world to see. Part of Aang hoped that those eyes were kept sacred, and that only he was able to see all these emotions at once. "Please?" He pleaded, one firm, good time, and she practically melted in his hands.

"Okay," she sighed, latching her arms around her neck to guarantee no accident. "You better not drop me Aang," she laughed, but he could tell she meant every word she said.

"Have I ever?" He smiled looking down into her blue eyes.

"By the way," she started, "your soaking wet."

Aang laughed. His deep musical laugh calming her down. "I know. Don't you love it?"

The wind was chilling to the bone, many people who preferred the late hours huddled close to complete strangers to stay warm when businesses were over packed.

But anyone who saw those two, felt a warmness in their heart. The light upbeat step on the young man as he carried the young lady in his strong arms, the big smiles and shared laughs while water from above and below soaked them to the bone. At certain times the young man would even decide to spin, the young lady's feet flying up from their dangling position, her musical laugh echoing through the streets of Chicago. She yelled through laughter for him to stop whenever he did this, but the look on her face made it obvious she meant a blind man could feel their love. You didn't have to see it to know. Maybe that just verified it.

**** 2 weeks later****

"Good morning sexiest woman journalist alive. Wow that was a mouthful." Suki's cheerful voice woke Katara up from the pile of work laying on her desk. The smell of ground coffee and fresh glazed donuts illuminated the air once again. She looked up and smiled at her friend.

"Good morning Suki." She paused as Suki's words sunk into her head. "Don't tell me they-"

"They did," Suki finished her sentence, pulling out the magazine as proof. "And if you ask me, I think they did a very good job."

Katara took the magazine from her friend, and poof, it was there. A casual picture somebody must have took of her when she was unaware of it.

She fixed her ponytail and casually flipped open the book, her eyes growing wide with a picture of her and Aang walking down the street together and smiling with the caption "Katara's HOT beau."

"What. The. Hell." Her eyes were wider than humanly possible.

"Katara," Suki hesitated before asking the question. Honestly she already knew the answer. "Are you Okay?"

Katara shut the magazine, and smiled. "I'm fine," she lied, covering it up with a smile. "When did this come out?"

"Just yesterday," she looked at her friend, suspicion written all over her face. "Why?"

Katara sighed, figuring she'd been keeping this secret long enough.

"You know Elder Iroh?" Suki nodded her head and Katara continued. "Well his adopted nephew has been staying with me for the past month now. Were supposed to keeps things kind of quiet about him staying with me, don't ask me why, but anyways this magazine isn't helping. I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long Suki."

Suki sighed, collapsing in the chair across from Katara's desk. "We already knew Katara."

Katara opened her mouth but couldn't seem to get anything out, so she asked what felt like a dumb question, if even that.

"What? _We_?"

Suki nodded her head. "And, actually, that's what I came to talk to you about. Your dad wants to meet him. He knew you wouldn't listen if he told you, so he wanted me to tell you. He set up everything up, 7:00 p.m. tonight. He wants to meet this guy."

Katara groaned into her hands, and Suki came over to pat her the back. "Come on Katara. It's not that bad. We know he's not your boyfriend but you know how your father is. Sokka and I will be there too, so he wont get too out of hand. It's not like you met this guy in the back of some dark alley." Suki laughed at her joke and Katara forced a laugh herself.

"Yeah... not like that at all."

Oh how she hated lying to a friend. It just didn't suit her. But some truths, she figured, were best kept in secret.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I went on a long, surprised, vacation and it was very relaxing. Hope you guys are having a great summer! :D

**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 7**

Katara's father was a fairly big size man. Not as in fat, but as in muscular. Many men who were ever interested in Katara fled when they met her father and his 6 foot 3 stature, built like a soldier, and certainly skilled like one. Her brother, Sokka, was not much different from their father. Perhaps a little bit smaller in stature, but he still possessed that, mess with my sister and I'll kill you, look. But then again, what would you expect from the chief of police and his right hand man?

So, would Katara be surprised if Aang was shaking in his black suede shoes the whole dinner? No. Not at all. However, would she be just a twinge bit surprised if he wasn't? Yes and a huge lot more than a twinge too.

Cheif Hakoda, Katara's father, always had a knack for choosing the upscale types of restaurants. Tonight, as expected, was no exception.

Cinnamon scented candles made for a cozy atmosphere; white cloths decorated each table with a vase full of roses set in the middle, waiters dressed to impress in all white clothing and wore fake bright smiles.

Katara brushed a hand through her long brown wavy hair, glancing around the full seated restaurant. It was a circular table reserved for the party of 5. Katara and Aang were the first to arrive. Aang sat next to her, a big grin on his face, his gray eyes sparkling with joy and excitement, like a kid in a candy store, as they scanned the room taking in his surroundings. Everybody here was in some position of authority, had a well-paying job, or was some sort of celebrity. All were dressed in their best attire, as were the two of them. Aang was adorned in a tux, something he kindly refused to wear but knew he could not win this battle against her. After all, she did pay for it. He would have much preferred to wear a Zoot suit, but this thought he decided to keep to himself. He figured out in the end that would just make it more obvious that he was not used to this type of environment.

"Wow. Now this is what I call fancy." Aang smiled over at Katara, looking her up and down with his eyes. "You look beautiful tonight Katara."

Katara could not hide the warming of her cheeks. She avoided eye contact and put both hands under her chin, doing her best to look nonchalant about it, but failing miserably.

"Thank you Aang. You look very handsome tonight."

That was no lie. He did look amazing tonight. His hair was nice, short, and spiky. His clothing was nice, neat, clean, and pressed. For short notice, he was no doubt a 10.

Katara was just beginning to get comfortable for the oddest of reasons, when she heard the footsteps of a chief and the many thank yous for keeping the city of Chicago safe and beautiful, even applause ensued. Katara just rolled her eyes. Even she knew that there was much more to Chicago than her father wanted people to know.

Aang stood up and pushed in his chair, getting the feeling that this important man must be Katara's father. He lent a hand over to Katara gently helping her get up.

"Thank you Aang."

Aang simply smiled at her then turned his attention back to the man slowly approaching their table. Aang did his best not to run out the back door. He definitely wasn't expecting Katara's father to be the chief of police. Katara never spoke of her father, so maybe that's why. However, that turning in his stomach just got increasingly worse when the big man made it to them and looked him directly in the eyes. No fear, no mercy.

Chief Hakoda had blue eyes, that could make you admit any lies you have ever told, and get down on your knees begging for forgiveness. He had strong features, caramel skin, and short black hair. He wore what appeared to be his uniform. A ghostly white shirt, silk black tie, cotton black suit jacket, badges all along the jacket, and a Chicago police department insignia on his left shoulder arm.

Katara could feel the awkwardness as her father looked Aang directly in his eyes. She decided then that it was time for her to intervene.

"Hello father."

Chief Hakoda, slowly but surely, turned his attention to his daughter and smiled. Aang could not exactly describe his smile. It was not fake or forced, but it was not real either. Something about it made him feel uneasy.

"Katara. It's been too long." He reached over and pulled his daughter into a hug. Katara hesitated, letting her arms dangle by their sides, before she finally put them around her father.

Aang smiled at the scene. The awkward but sweet scene. You could tell they were not used to hugging, and that's what made it all the more funny to him.

Hakoda pulled away from his daughter, taking his icy blue eyes and looking directly into Aang's stormy gray ones.

"And you must be Aang."

Iroh loved his tea shop. There were times he would just sit back and marvel at the fact that he had ever come this far in life. Sometimes, it all seemed like just an allusion. An allusion whereas at any second he would wake up from this beautiful dream and be shook back into the harsh reality that none of it ever existed.

Thank the spirits that day had not come yet.

He hummed a soft tune to himself, sweeping up the last tracks of dirt off the floor.

It was closing time, the last of his workers just left, and the shop was completely empty. He smiled to himself and inhaled deeply. Finally, he thought to himself, my life is coming together. A content sigh slipped his lips and the words in his head leaked out.

"Finally. Things are going right."

Iroh glanced at his watch, which read 8:00. Officially closing time. He went over to the door and flipped the switch nearby, automatically making the flashing open lights outside of the shop go out with a light buzz.

He couldn't remember the last time everything felt so peaceful in his life. Everything felt so right. Where everything seemed ... almost perfect. However, that's the part that scared him the most. Perhaps things were going too perfect...

He shook his head, continuing to clean up the remnants of trash around the shop. There isn't such a thing as too perfect, at least not in this world, he concluded.

But then again, in the pit of his stomach, he couldn't run from the nauseating feeling he got that something was going to happen. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but he could feel it. Iroh tried to ignore those rising feelings though and busied himself with finishing up the needed requirements in order to close the shop.

There wasn't much left to do, if he was honest with himself he just enjoyed being in his shop so much that he wanted used cleaning as an excuse. After all, it was his shop._ His _shop. _His shop_. HIS SHOP. He could say that a billion times and never get tired of it. Calling something his and feeling safe in it… well there was nothing quite like that.

The door flung open, as if a gust of wind had blown it in. Iroh's eyes darted to the door as he got in a fighting stance.

"I'm sorry," he said, "were closed."

The man entered the shop anyway, ignoring Iroh as if he had said nothing at all.

"You can't make an exception for family?" the man asked, lifting his black fedora cap off his head and putting it on a nearby table.

And at that very moment, Iroh knew his assumptions had been right after all.

"What do you want Ozai?"

Aang tapped his fingers nervously on the table. His mind wandered like crazy, using anything as a distraction from the nervous pit at bottom of his stomach. Even the silverware looked interesting. He took a few deep breaths, finally looking up at Katara's family. The table was full now. Sokka and Suki arrived not long after Katara's father. Sokka, he had learned during this time, was a comedian. He was in the process of finishing up a joke at this very moment. Which, somehow, Aang had zoned out of.

"And after that," Sokka continued," I never saw the guy again. He still owes me some donuts to this day too."

Sokka flung his head back in laughter, and everybody else joined in but much more subdued. Aang raised an eyebrow and stared blankly at Sokka. He was, no doubt, a failed comedian. His jokes were so bad, it was sad.

Aang joined in the laughter when he realized Katara's father was looking at him with a frown. He flung his head back and banged his hand on the table making the silverware and glasses shake. Aang immediately stopped, noticing the odd looks he was receiving, and drunk some of his water to shake the nerves.

Sokka frowned and looked at Aang before breaking into a big smile. "I like this guy," he declared.

Iroh sipped his cup of jasmine tea, watching Ozai from across the table like a hawk.

Iroh broke the silence. "You never answered my question."

Ozai smiled, inhaling the fresh jasmine scent in between his hands. "It's a nice shop you got here. I'm impressed brother."

Iroh nodded his head, fully attentive to every move his brother made. He watched him as he slowed sipped some more of his tea.

"Thank you," Iroh quietly said. "Without the money you gave me, I would have never been able to open it up."

Ozai smiled again, a light glitter in his golden eyes. "That's what family does."

Iroh didn't believe that.

He didn't believe that one bit.

Ozai brushed his hands on the table, feeling the smooth texture under his callused palms. He had to give Iroh some credit; he never expected the shop to become this nice.

"I mean that. It really is beautiful," Ozai nodded toward the shop. "You did a great job."

Iroh kept his defense up. His brother was known for sweet talking people to get what he wanted. Maybe because it usually worked.

"It took a while," Iroh shifted his eyes around the lit up shop, "but everything came together nicely if I may add."

Ozai nodded, letting the silence thicken. The only sounds that could be heard were from the outside world, which seemed so far and vague at the moment.

Finally, Ozai spoke again. Determination in his eyes, his voice deeper than it had been before.

"I was hoping you could deliver a message to Aang for me."

"So Aang," Sokka said, chewing violently on a piece of chicken in his mouth, "have you ever had a job before?"

Aang hesitated before answering, cutting up his white pizza and placing some in his mouth. "I was a door to door salesman." That was not completely false, so it worked for him.

Sokka grinned, nudging Suki in the side of her stomach. "That's something I've always been interested in."

Katara giggled. "Door to door salesman or the food some are selling?"

Sokka opened his mouth to protest but instead found himself laughing along with Aang and Suki. Hakoda stayed quiet, eyeing Aang from the corner of his eyes.

"What did you sell?" Hakoda asked.

Aang took a big bite out of pizza, perhaps slightly too big, and started coughing violently, food stuck in his throat. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe that was luck, or death waiting on the other side.

Katara patted Aang on the back, as he gulped down some water and cleared his throat, the subject before being thrown to the wind.

Sokka rubbed his extended belly, trying to shove some more chocolate cake into his mouth but finding himself too full to do so. Suki smiled and shook her head; typical Sokka.

For some reason Aang had not noticed the music in the background until now. Maybe nerves had gotten the best of him. He turned around in his seat to see a place outside in the back of the restaurant lit up by hanging lanterns. Music with a nice dancing beat played along in the background.

He looked over at Katara, who was absent mindedly wiping the condensation off her glass with her finger. "Katara," he whispered, automatically getting her attention, "would you like to dance?"

The question was one that usually made her roll her eyes. But coming from Aang, she felt her heart pick up in beat and her stomach jump. She turned her face away from him, trying to hide her obvious blush.

"I would like to, but I can't dance," she whispered back.

"Nonsense," Aang gently took her hand leading her away from the table and to the outside patio. "Anyone can dance. Just follow my lead."

"Where are they going?" Sokka asked, following them with his eyes. Suki just rolled her eyes.

They made their way around young and old couples on the dance floor until Aang had found a sort of isolated spot. Before long, Aang and Katara were smoothly dancing on the floor, her hands in his. He spun her and dipped her, making her feel like she was flying and they were only the two in the world.

"See," he whispered to her, smiling, "you do know how to dance."

Katara just smiled back at him. The band decided to take a break, putting on a softer, jazzier song by Elvis Presley called 'Can't help falling in love with you'. Lots of people went back inside when the slow song started playing. Katara was going to follow suit when Aang stopped her, slipping one arm behind her back and taking her hand in his. He pulled her close, and she gasped at first out of shock but soon sighed contently, letting her head rest on his shoulder as they danced. Their bodies so close they could hear each other breathing. Everything else at that moment disappeared. Katara closed her eyes, wishing this moment would never end, and realized at the same time, she had fallen in love.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

A/N: Lol I cannot believe school has started already. It's my senior year in High School now (I feel so old!). Anyways, thank you SO much for all your reviews! Every review makes me smile and I can never say thanks enough.

* * *

**The Boy in the Zoot Suit**

**Chapter 8**

Aang woke up, his heart pounding in his chest, everything spinning around him so fast he couldn't even imagine keeping up. His breathing came out in spurts, sweat dripping down his hot face. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his tense nerves, and failing.

It all seemed so real. Everything in his dream seemed so positively real! He confessed his feelings to Katara; they kissed, and went on from there... At least that's what happened… in his dream. He groaned, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands; when did his mind become so evil to him? He got up from his bed, deciding he couldn't stand the heat of the covers on his skin any longer. Glancing at the clock he put on his pajama shirt, 12:00 a.m. He rolled his shoulders getting out all the kinks, anything to distract him from his thoughts. His evil, terrible, messed up thoughts.

Love. That one word contained so much meaning he was not used to, and would deny. Was he really in love with Katara? The girl he couldn't stand just about a couple months ago? Maybe even a little longer than that. He laughed to himself, sitting on the edge of his bed, realizing that it was impossible.

Or was it? That dream had to have happened for a reason, right? Sure, he could state the obvious things he'd come to know about her. She was determined, focused, hard-working, self-motivated, caring, giving, and beautiful. He stopped himself, frowning, bringing a hand up to his chin in deep thought. But then again she was also stubborn, very stubborn, whatever she had her eyes set on she was going to get. He smiled; maybe that wasn't always such a bad thing. He groaned again, falling back onto the bed and coming to the unavoidable conclusion that all his life he tried to avoid: He was hopelessly in love.

With that new settlement, he got up from his bed, wanting nothing more than to kick himself in the shin, and then confess his feelings.

Or maybe just kick himself in the shin.

* * *

Katara usually knew what she wanted in life. She had it pretty much all planned out when she was still in High School. She would get a job as a journalist, eventually manage her own company, retire with a good amount of money, and… well… that's where her planning stopped. The prospect of falling in love seemed to have avoided her schedule. Sure there were guys back in High School that she liked, but that was it. Just passing phases in her life. As she continued thinking, she never had a first kiss before. Anytime a boy leaned in, she leaned away. But now, as she tossed and turned in her bed at who knows what time in the morning, she found herself thinking about Aang. Someone she just a little over two months ago and barely knew anything about.

She found herself dreaming of his kiss, his touch, him holding her in his strong arms. She had to tell him how she felt. She just had to. She got up from her bed, putting a robe over her short nightgown, but stopped. She couldn't tell him. That was his job. She was never the kind of girl that just out and tells a guy that she liked him. She wasn't like her friend Suki, who just plainly told Sokka she liked him when he was too blind to notice. What was she going to say anyways? _Aang, I know you may not feel the same way, but I really like you; more than just a friendly way too. _No way. No way in hell could she do that. It would probably ruin their friendship anyways if she did confess and he didn't feel the same way. That would just ruin everything. So what could she do?

Nothing. Just pretend those feelings don't exist and keep her life simple. But then again, maybe that was her problem. She always thought things over too much, re-analyzing them in her brain until she couldn't think straight anymore. She tried to keep her life pre-planned and simple. When Aang entered it, all caution was thrown out the window. Maybe it was time for her to do something outrageously crazy for her life beyond work.

She stood at the window, peering through a blind to hear a distant sound of police cars racing down the streets heading south.

She left her room and took a deep breath, pushing Aang as far away from her mind as possible, only to be surprised and a little disappointed that her plan to forget about him for the rest of the night had vanished, Aang was sitting right on the couch, leaning forward, his hands folded neatly in his lap. His gray eyes shot up when Katara entered the kitchen, turning on a little light nearby the sink. He jumped up from his seat, wanting to go back to his room right now. Of course the person he was trying to avoid thinking of would pop up at this moment. Damn karma.

"Hi Katara," he said sheepishly, tugging at the bottom of his shirt. "Couldn't sleep either huh?" he asked her.

Katara played with her hair, letting it fall through her fingers, completely unaware of how this nervous habit was torturing Aang. "Yeah," she laughed awkwardly. "Weird…"

She trailed off; Aang nodded his head agreeing with her.

A second grew into a minute, both of them refusing to move or look at each other.

"You want some water?" Katara asked, reaching into the cupboard and grabbing a glass.

Aang shook his head, smiling at her. "No thanks, I think I'm just going to go back to bed. Try to get some sleep." He ran a nervous hand through his short hair, his gray eyes looking up toward the ceiling. Katara sighed, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"Oh okay," she replied. "Goodnight Aang."

"Night Katara," Aang smiled, turning slowly to head back to bed.

Katara stood still, frozen in place, watching as his shadow left the living room. "Aang, wait," she called out, barely loud enough for him to hear her. He stopped in his tracks, sighing. He really didn't want to confront her right now. He put on a smile and turned his head, looking back at her.

"Yes Katara?"

Katara didn't say anything, nervously rolling the cup in her hand. She stared at it for a few seconds, before slamming it on the countertop. Aang raised an eyebrow and turned around, fully facing her direction. He was liked a maniac; just perfect.

"Katara, are you okay?" he asked her, watching her pull on a single strand of her hair, seemingly mesmerized by it.

"Yeah," she said sheepishly, her cheeks tinting red. "I was just wondering…" She twisted the strand between her fingers, scanning her brain for what she was trying to say. Aang raised both of his eyebrows, waiting patiently. "I was just wondering if you would stay here with me tonight," she whispered.

Aang opened his mouth to reply but found no words coming out. He scratched the back of his head, trying to understand what she had just said.

"You want me to stay here with you tonight?" he repeated her question, enunciating each syllable.

Katara ran a hand through her hair, realizing it did not make much sense. "Not exactly," she continued. "I want you to stay up with me. If you're not too tired… "

A thick silence ensued. Katara pressed the palms of her hands onto the countertop, thinking she was a complete idiot for even saying that.

Aang kneaded his eyebrows together, obviously thinking something over. Finally he smiled at Katara.

"I have a better idea," he said, a growing sparkle in his eyes. "Get dressed."

* * *

"This bike is amazing Aang."

Aang smiled, running his hand along the chrome bike. "Yeah, I love it. Me and my close friend Zu-"he stopped himself from continuing the sentence, realizing he was about to say Zuko's name. "Me and a very close friend of mine built it. We would come here almost every night, and work on it for hours at a time; took us about 5 years. "

Katara smiled, admiring its beauty.

"You guys did a very good job."

Aang smiled at her and patted his bike. "Now let's test this buddy out."

Katara's eyes widened when she saw Aang reaching for a helmet hanging nearby. "Ride this? Do you even have your license?"

Aang nodded his head. "Sure do; had it for about 3 years now. I keep it in my shoe." He wiggled his eyebrows and Katara's expression just grew with worry and disgust. Who keeps their license in their shoe? She asked herself.

"I don't know about this Aang," Katara said, her eyebrows raised in uncertainty. She stuffed her hands into the leather jacket pockets', feeling the soft cotton that most people wouldn't think was there.

Aang gave a toothy grin, placing the helmet on his head with ease and hopping onto the bike. "It's my baby; nothing will go wrong with it... most likely nothing will go wrong with it."

The junkyard was quiet at this time of night. Katara was not used to being in this part of Chicago, but she tried to show no indication of it. Bright lights shined down on the chrome bike, making Katara squint in order to see it. Aang handed her a helmet, she hesitated but eventually put it on, fastening it under her chin.

Katara threw her leg over the back seat, sitting on behind him. She could hear the engine start up, and feel the vibration slightly through her seat. "Where do I put my hands?" she asked, over the engine.

"Around me," Aang smiled.

Katara hesitated before placing her hands on his hips. She felt the motorcycle go into motion as Aang eased it forward. At that moment, she felt his hip muscles. Her breath caught in her throat and she mentally cursed. Why did he have to have hip muscles? Why? Didn't he already have enough muscles? The six pack, the toned arms, the butt muscles, now the hip muscles.

She bit on her lip at the thought of his butt muscles; if only he knew how much his body tortured her.

"-okay?"

She looked up to see Aang with his head turned to the side glancing back at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah, just stay focused on your driving, okay?"

Aang smirked. "What? Afraid we might crash?" He sped up on the wide, dark, dirt road, swerving just a little but enough to cause a screeching sound.

Katara's eyes widened and she grabbed onto his hip muscles tighter. "Don't do that!" she shrieked.

Aang laughed, obviously enjoying this. "I told you Katara, I got this. When you're with me, you don't have to worry, okay?"

Katara sighed and hit him on the back, eventually smiling. "Okay."

The rest of the ride had a peaceful serenity to it. The moon hung high in the sky; more stars appeared the farther they went. The area they were in had a certain earthy smell to it, reminding Katara of her childhood. She smiled, looking at the dark forests covering each side of the dirt path Aang was traveling down. Trees flew past them at an incredible speed.

Katara noticed the dirt road stopped at a certain point, that's when Aang slowed the bike to a gentle stop and got off. He put his helmet on the seat, and helped Katara off the bike. Katara unfastened her helmet, putting it next to Aangs.

Crickets chirped in the distance, she could hear the rustle of animals in the forest nearby. Aang took a deep breath and stretched. He turned his back to her and pointed out to the large field in front of them. When she strained her eyes she could see a lake a little bit up the way.

"I used to come here all the time when I was a kid," he said quietly, Katara coming to stand next to him. "Sometimes, I would just leave home in the middle of the night and wander off here to meditate."

Katara smiled sweetly at him. His gray eyes sparkled as he looked out over the field, memories flooding back into his mind. He swallowed deeply, trying to hold back some tears. "Follow me," he whispered, taking her hand in his and leading her off into the field. The grass was wet, sticking to her shoes as they walked. She was glad he stopped her from wearing sandals now.

They reached the middle of the field; Aang stretched his arms out wide. He smiled brightly, sitting down, running his hands through the wet cold grass. Katara sat up next to him, staring up at the sky.

"It's beautiful out here," she said quietly. "I've never seen so many stars."

She was gazing up at the sky in awe. Aang followed her gaze, and smiled.

"Yeah, you never get a view like this in the city."

Katara nodded her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye. "Thank you for taking me here Aang," she said sincerely.

"Anytime."

Another peaceful silence followed them. Aang lay down on his back; folding his arms behind his head as a cushion. He pulled his jacket hoodie over his head. Katara sat still, frozen in spot, running her hands along the wet grass and pulling some out. Eventually she fell back, lying down next to Aang, folding her arms comfortably on her stomach.

"Aang?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

Katara bit her lip, sitting up, wondering exactly how to say this. "Tell me about yourself. Like your past."

Aang frowned; she did deserve to know some things he concluded.

"Well," he started, sitting up, "I was born in Brooklyn, New York. My parents died in a plane crash when I was very young so an Uncle of mine named Gyatso stepped in and adopted me. We moved to Chicago, his hometown, kind of just to start over and get away."

Katara could hear how difficult it was for him to say these things, she reached for his hand out of instinct and held it in hers, squeezing it for him to continue.

"My Uncle Gyatso was a wonderful man. He taught me how to love, how to care, how to always have hope. He was also very spiritual, meditating daily. He was shot though." He sighed deeply; squeezing Katara's hand like it was the only strength he had to continue on. "There aren't many benders in this world nowadays…"

It seemed like a random off topic thing to say, but Katara just stayed quiet waiting for more.

"Most have been killed, because the Avatar lets people like Ozai run lose while he hides like a coward. Most people are just non benders."

Katara was familiar with Avatar. Her mother used to tell her stories of the Avatar, the only person in the world who could bend all four elements. She always had hope that he would return and end the madness that nobody else could. As she got older, her hope got weaker. She started to believe people who had good intentions like her older brother, people who said all the Avatar was and would ever be is a fable.

"Do you believe in the Avatar Katara?" Aang asked, his eyes peering into hers.

Katara felt her breath catch in her throat. Her eyes darted toward the ground, and she sighed. "I've never stopped. Have to have some hope somewhere, right?" she lied partially.

Aang nodded his head, staring at the ground. "Do you think he's alive?"

He needed to hear her say yes. She could tell it and for some reason she had a strong desire to. "Yes, I do. I think he's just confused, but he's going to stop them. He has to."

Aang stayed silent, staring at the gentle flowing grass beneath them, and that's when Katara knew he was not saying anymore for the rest of the night on this topic of the Avatar. Katara knew he wanted to say more, he just couldn't. She had interviewed millions of people in her life. Abused, battered and beaten, heartbroken, dying people; Aang seemed like one of them, one of those millions of people in life with a secret, a painful secret, which they were afraid to let out. But then again, he seemed so different from them too. Maybe because besides all those millions of people Katara interviewed, she had grown to love Aang. Despite the story he refused to tell.

It stayed silent for a while, the only sounds being made was the nature around them. Katara looked down and saw that their hands were still intertwined. She blushed at the sight, but didn't want to move her hand. It felt almost as if it was made to be in his.

"You are a waterbender aren't you?" Aang asked, surprising her and making her jump a little at his voice. He looked completely calm, gazing at the stars above them and smiling gently.

Katara had never told anyone. The only people that knew were her immediate family. Not even Suki knew. Her father and Sokka thought it was best to pretend she didn't bend after her mother died.

"It's okay," Aang continued, feeling her hesitation. "You don't have to tell me. I can just tell you are. I picked that up a little while ago about you. How you move, how you handle yourself. I could just feel it."

Katara took her hand from his grasp at that moment, causing him to look at her for a brief second, immediately that warmth. "I guess you already know the answer," she said quietly, staring at the grass.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Katara," Aang said, his voice sounding full of strength. "Waterbending is beautiful. The fluidness, the strength, the healing, everything about it is beautiful. You should be proud." Aang struggled to get the last part out. He knew by saying that he was being two faced.

"It's not that I'm not happy to be a waterbender Aang. It's just that…" she turned her head away, so that Aang couldn't see her face. "My mother died protecting my secret. She would be alive if it wasn't for me. So tell me, if it was such a beautiful thing, why do I feel like a monster?"

Aang nodded his head, understanding exactly where she was coming from. "I understand," he whispered.

"No. You think you do, but you really don't. Most people don't. I mean, how can you?" She looked at him, her blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

Aang sighed, taking her hand in his and helping her up to her feet. "Let me tell you a little story about a guy I used to know."


End file.
